After the breakup of Viennese cult Beat band The Slaves, 16-year-old guitar prodigy Karl Ratzer turned into the Viennese Jimi Hendrix, and re-invented himself as Charles Ryder. His new band, a psychedelic Rhythm-&-Blues trio, initially performed as Charlie Ryder And The New Slaves and The Motion Crew. On board were Ratzer’s childhood friends Wolfgang Hafenbrödl (bass) and Georg Hieblinger (drums), who had already played together in the local dance band The Hards. After touring Bavarian army bases in 1967, Ryder’s new group recruited organist Wolfgang Meinhard and lead singer Ernst Brüll of the Viennese underground combo The Look. Now operating under the name Charles Ryders Corporation, the group promptly secured a permanent engagement with the local in-crowd Camera Club (heretofore San Remo), and were also asked to contribute to the soundtrack for Eddy Saller’s sexploitation film “Schamlos”(“Shameless”). “People came to the club and wanted songs”,remembers bass player Wolfgang Hafenbrödl. “The head of the Viennese Deccabranch suggested that we release two singles. It was all linked to this trashy movie production. A somewhat ominous, intransparent story.”

The two singles were released by the Swiss Decca branch in April 1968, while alternative versions of the recordings were left with the film company for post production – where they remained, unreleased until today. Among them was an alternative version of the iconic Freakbeat tune “I remember the blues”, which we are honored to present you with today in this compilation. Note: Recently, the Austrian reissue label Digatonecompiled the previously unreleased soundtrack to “Shameless” on a carefully curated LP (DIG 005/2015). The record features the film music composed by Gerhard Heinz as well as the aforementioned lost tracks by the Charles Ryders Corporation.